NFL Player News

Ruckert (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's season opener against the Ravens, Billy Riccette of USA Today reports.

Ruckert missed all of the Jets' OTAs and half of training camp due to a foot injury. While he's now healthy, the rookie third-round pick missed a substantial amount of practice time and will continue to be brought along slowly. New York made a splash in free agency this offseason by adding C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin, so they'll be in no rush to thrust Ruckert into action if he isn't 100 percent comfortable with the playbook.

Kroft was spotted warming up with the 49ers' first-team offense and is expected to start at tight end Sunday against the Bears, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

With top tight end George Kittle (groin) sidelined for the season opener, Kroft looks to be first in line to replace him in the lineup. Even if Kroft ends up getting the start, don't count on him handling as large of a snap share as Kittle does, nor should Kroft be expected to approach the 6.7 targets per game that Kittle averaged during the 2021 regular season. Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley are also active for the contest and could rotate in at tight end with Kroft.

Calcaterra (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Lions.

Calcaterra was able to make the 53-man roster, but he's still No. 4 on the Eagles' tight end positional depth chart. He'll give way to Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll and Noah Togiai at the position Sunday. The rookie, selected in the sixth round of the 2022 Draft, will need to prove more to crack the roster on gameday in Week 2.

Turner (hamstring) is inactive Sunday against the Jaguars.

Turner has been limited at practice all week and isn't quite ready for game action. In his absence, Armani Rogers is expected to operate as Washington's No. 3 tight end.

Vannett (coach's decision) will not play Sunday against the Falcons, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Vannett was able to crack the 53-man roster, but he's still listed behind Adam Trautman, Taysom Hill and Juwan Johnson on the team's tight end positional depth chart. He'll have to wait to make his season debut.

Wilcox (ankle) is active for Sunday's season opener against the Steelers, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.

Wilcox suffered a left ankle injury during the team's exhibition opener and was sidelined for the remainder of the preseason. He was limited at practices all week, but he'll still suit up for Week 1. Wilcox will compete for Drew Sample for backup snaps behind Hayden Hurst, but the majority of Wilcox's snaps will likely come on special teams.

Kittle (groin) is listed as inactive Sunday at Chicago, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

As expected, Kittle will be unable to suit up for the 49ers' season opener due to the groin injury that he sustained during an unofficial practice last Monday. The team instead will turn to the trio of Charlie Woerner, Tyler Kroft and Ross Dwelley at tight end, though Kittle's absence may result in more targets for wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Kittle's next chance to suit up is Sunday, Sept. 18 against the Seahawks.

Thomas (knee) is listed as active Sunday against the Jaguars.

Thomas has made a speedy recovery from a Dec. 17 surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. It's unclear exactly what type of snap share he'll be able to handle in his first game action since Week 13 of last season, but John Bates and Armani Rogers are on hand at tight end to take on any work that Thomas cannot, while rookie fifth-round pick Cole Turner (hamstring) is inactive.

Ertz (calf), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Chiefs, is likely to play barring any pregame setbacks, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The veteran tight end looks to have made enough progress in his recovery from a lingering calf issue to be trending in the right direction for Week 1. It will certainly be positive news for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals' offense if Ertz is given the green light, especially with Rondale Moore (hamstring) and DeAndre Hopkins (suspension) out of action. An official word on Ertz's status may not come until the Cardinals release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Kittle (groin), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Chicago, isn't slated to play, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Since injuring his groin during an unofficial practice Monday, Kittle has been sidelined from all drills and entered the weekend with a designation. His status likely won't be confirmed until 90 minutes before Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but the 49ers are poised to trot out Charlie Woerner, Tyler Kroft and Ross Dwelley at tight end. Kittle's expected absence likely will allow more targets for the team's top wide receivers -- Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk -- than the aforementioned tight-end trio.